An anonymous Cornish jeweller has donated an 18 carat gold ring set with sapphires, ruby and amethyst to be auctioned for the NHS.
The auction was launched on Sunday, on the 72nd birthday of the NHS, and anyone in the country can bid for the entirely bespoke white gold ring.
It is set with seven individual gemstones – amethyst, tanzanite, blue sapphire, green sapphire, yellow sapphire, fire opal and ruby - to represent the different colours of the rainbow, as the symbol of hope used in connection with the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic.
The kind-hearted jeweller, who asked not to be named, has been in the business for more than three decades, having started as an apprentice at the age of 17 before going on to work in London’s Hatton Garden making jewellery for some of the capital's top West End jewellery shops.
He moved to Cornwall five years ago to open his own shop in Wadebridge.
The jewelled rainbow ring donated by a Cornish jeweller for the NHS
The jeweller said: "I wanted to give something back to the NHS. Seeing how the rainbow was becoming a symbol for the NHS I thought it would be nice to make a ring in the same theme.
“I’ve never made anything for charity before, but I was thinking about how I could help locally and wanted to support the efforts of Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.”
Money raised will go towards the trust's Covid-19 Appeal.
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Trust chief executive Phil Confue said: “We’ve never received a donation of this kind before. All over the country people have been getting creative to raise money and this is just one of the ways that Cornwall has shown unity.
“Despite the difficult circumstances that we’re all facing at the minute, it has really shown how people can come together in times of need, and this ring will be a symbol of the selfless work that our NHS staff are doing.”
Stephanie Pomeroy, fundraising manger for the trust, agreed it was "an honour" to receive the ring from such an esteemed jeweller, adding: "I’ve never seen anything like it before and it is sure to be a talking point. We can’t thank the generous donor enough for auctioning the ring to raise money for our Covid-19 Appeal.”
People can make a bid on this one-of-a-kind item up until 9pm this Sunday, July 12 via www.givergy.uk/cpf
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